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Outlook: How Superman saved my life

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12/10/2019 GMT

How Superman saved my life

BBC World Service - Outlook, How Superman saved my life

Screenwriter Joe Straczynski wished for a hero to rescue him from his abusive childhood

Joe Straczynski is a lifelong fan of the comic superhero. As a kid he dreamt that Superman would swoop in and rescue him from his violently abusive father and loveless childhood.

J. Michael Straczynski is an award-winning writer responsible for creating TV shows like Babylon 5, Sense8 and the movie Changeling, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Angelina Jolie. But Joe had an abusive, loveless and deprived childhood, and would find escape in the world of comics and science fiction. He credits one superhero in particular for forming his own moral character and steering him to a better life. 

He’s written a book about his life and love of fiction, called Becoming Superman.

All Superman material is copyright of DC Comics Inc.

Presenter: Andrea Kennedy
Producer: Tom Harding Assinder

Photo: Superman float in the Mardi Gras Parade
Credit: Getty Images

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